Developing models for lake management

The degradation of quantity and quality of lake waters nowadays forces scientists to develop advanced methods of studying and understanding lake ecosystems. These methods lead to models that have as an aim to describe in detail the chemical and biological processes that take place in the lake environment. The developed models are then used as tools to predict the exact mechanisms that follow accidents or permanent situations that have as result the degradation of the water quality of the lake. The present paper describes a working frame to develop models for lake management, lists the main variables to be considered and presents their interactions and influences on the lake ecosystem.

A detailed study of the above factors in a lake environment provides the data needed to compose a model that renders the lake ecosystem well understood. Further research may focus to micronutrients essential to fauna and flora that can limit productivity such as Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co and Mo as well as S that is essential for protein and sulphuric ester synthesis and Si that is directly related to diatom growth rate and seasonal succession. A synopsis of the suggested factors in lake modelling is presented in Table 2.